Isiah Thomas said he doesn’t need a public vote of confidence from James Dolan. The Knicks owner was not in attendance for today’s Chicago matinee, his baseline seats left empty. But Thomas sounded for a second day like a man whose been assured a firing is not coming anytime soon.

Certainly, yesterday’s 85-78 Bulls’ victory that broke an eight-game losing streak will lessen the furor for a few days. But Thomas admitted he must start winning.

“This type of track record of basketball is not what I’m accustomed to,” Thomas said. “I think it was Al Davis, who said, ‘Just win, baby.’ We got to win. That’s the bottom line.”

“This early in the season after 11 games, it’s not the time to start making a whole lot of changes,” Thomas said. “Then you just go back to where you were a couple of years ago. We got good talent. I believe in the talent, believe in the players. We just got to ride this thing out. This isn’t the time to blow it up, go and say we have to have another five-year plan. We’re pretty close. We like what we have. We got good players. We got to get them feeling better about themselves through this stretch.”

Before tip-off, Thomas was in an expansive mood, saying the vitriol from the fans and media are deserving.

“We have the ability to change that,” Thomas said. “There’s a lot of time left to change that. Our fans are supportive. They come to the arena every night, cheering for us, wanting to see us win. They don’t come every night to boo and be angry at us. When we don’t have a good performance, that’s their right.”

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After not taking a shot in Detroit, ailing Quentin Richardson (hyperextended elbow) make up for it with a ferocious 15-rebound performance. He still is laboring with his follow-through, going 1-for-8. “I think he’s giving us all that he has,” Thomas said. “We appreciate what he’s giving us. No, he’s not a 100 percent. We need his scoring. He’s trying to do other things. He finds a way to get involved defensively.” … Renaldo Balkman (sprained ankle) returned to action, giving the Knicks 18 solid defensive minutes and even hitting a corner jumper in a six-point, six-rebound outing.